


Unstoppable

by orphan_account



Category: Original Work
Genre: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), Angst, Estrella is the fucking best, Fluff, Gay, Gay Male Character, How Do I Tag, I need help, Much gayness, Rating May Change, Rhize is a goddamn kween, The title is bad, This is my therapy, Weird, a lot of POC, hehe, i just had the song stuck in my head im sorry, klein is a lovable idiot, pansexal, pansexual main character, please read this please, too much gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-01 09:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15771726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Elias is determined to change the world.Rhize is destined to change the world.Klein is... probably not going to change the world.Baku is confused about how the world will see him.Estrella is prepared to take on the world.Izelda is fighting the world.With a lot of magic, some very questionable originality, and some serious training, even the impossible becomes possible.These teens are about face something the world hasn't prepared them for.





	1. The First Part

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a place to publish this, I know it's a WIP and that it's not very good but please tell me what I'm doing wrong because God knows I am terrible at this.
> 
> Help a lil atheist out with her writing.
> 
> To the people that inspired this, I will give everything up for you guys. I fucking love you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> History class!!! And Elias is dumb!!!

_Long, long ago, there was a great war between the evil ice of the north and the great hot southern flames. After thousands of years, the noble flames prevailed and the north slunk back to its hideaway. The charitable south gave out life to the earth, and created humans. The north created evil and darkness, shadows and emotion. This is the story of how the Darkling and Summer races were created_. Elias flipped the page, looking at the old paintings done by the Summer races. “Of course, we don’t actually know if this creation myth is real or not. Remember kids, the winners write the history, and there are a couple of old sources that suggest that the North negotiated a treaty with the South and effectively ended the war. The the ‘slinking back to their hideaway’ line may just have been the rather private North going back to their territories. Since the Darklings keep to themselves and the Summer are all strictly religious, we don’t have any credible information. In the west, though, a couple of archaeologists are digging at an ancient site that may hold some secrets, so we’ll be discussing that when we get back from winter break,” Mr. Cathy lectured, pacing to and fro in front of the class, who were all gazing at him with admiration. The bell rang and all the teens grabbed their backpacks, rushing to the door. “You have three paragraphs and an essay due by the end of break!” he called to the rapidly disappearing students. Elias blinked and snapped out of his haze, grabbing his black and gray backpack and jogging to the door. “Wait!” Mr. Cathy called, grabbing Elias’s arm. “Elias, you’re very submerged in social issues regarding the Darkling-Summer race conflict, so I thought that you’d want to see this,” he whispered. He pressed a magazine into Elias’s hand and turned back to his desk, losing interest in the interaction. Elias rolled his eyes and strode out the door, with half a mind to throw the magazine out. But something stopped him. And that something was a hand shoving him into the lockers. “Watch where you’re going, freak,” snarled a guy not much taller than Elias. _Brock Jeller. Seventh year. On the skating team. Fast as hell and twice as strong. Disadvantage: really, really stupid. Also, he’s not_ quite _as fast as Elias._ “What’s the matter, freak? Gonna go all psycho on me? Gonna get that fancy knife out, and go all out? Huh?” Brock got up in Elias’s face, shoving him again. There was a clang as he fell into the lockers, letting his legs buckle under him. “Stop,” he whispered, but it was lost in the calls of _get him, Brock_ and the frantic gossiping of the spectators. Elias got to his feet and ran, backpack slamming against his back with every stride. Once he’d lost Brock amongst the people swarming the halls, he plodded wearily to the bleachers in the gym and plunked down. It was only when he went to grab his sandwich that he remembered the magazine, crumpled in his hand. Hmmm, Elias thought. Oh, what the hell. _Might as well escape while I can._ **_World News is proud to be hosting the first ever interracial conference of ambassadors from each Race and a lucky student. Write an essay about a topic you’re passionate about and submit to the website below to win a chance to be there!_** Elias blinked. The deadline was in _three days_. Then, he focused on the sharpie scribble below. _**Elias, consider this an immediate A plus. You know you’ll need it if you want to get into Konoma Academy next year, so I hope you consider this opportunity. –Mr. Cathy**_ Elias rubbed his eyes. Then, he rubbed his hand through his short hair. Then, he rolled his eyes. A subject he was passionate about…

  


  


  


  


That was the day that had started it all, of course. And now he was in the neat uniform of Konoma Academy, standing in the line labeled _Humans,_ waiting for his name to be called so that he could go up to get his pass. “First days are always hard,” his mother had warned him as he got on the plane that would lead him across the world to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the world. “I know,” he’d said. “Remember to take your pills!” she’d yelled as he boarded. Like he would do _that._ The only time he took his pills was when he felt like an episode was inevitable, and he needed to be restrained. 

  


“I’m so excited,” a girl behind him bubbled. Elias rolled his eyes and walked forward as the line progressed. He wanted to meet other Races! He wanted to talk to them, learn their culture, to  _ do  _ things! He was  _ more  _ than excited. He was… something. 

  


“Name, please,” chirped a middle-aged, matronly woman holding a stamp in her right hand and her left resting on a computer mouse. “Uh, Elias Dondelair. I’m a third year transfer,” he mumbled, scrubbing his hand through the hair on the back of his head. “Dondelair.. Dondelair… here we go! Okay, sweetie, you’re gonna need this,” the woman twittered, handing him a badge.

  


Elias grabbed the badge, took a deep breath, and walked through the pristine double doors that led to Konoma Academy.

  


Elias’s roommate was a guy with some serious issues (but he wasn’t really one to talk). His spiky blonde hair was always gelled, and his cold yellow eyes regarded everything with one of two expressions: cool indifference, or cold fury. 

  


_ The Darkling race is the only one of the three great races to have natural mutations. Common mutations include: a second set of animal ears, tails, patterned skin, and pointed incisors. _

Elias had read this passage eight times, trying to get the information to stick in his head. Finally, he closed his textbook and lay his head down on the table, closing his eyes for just a moment…

  


He woke up to his roommate, Baku, shaking his arm. “Wake up,” he snapped. “It’s time for the meeting with our teachers.” 

Elias sprung up, racing to his closet and grabbing the school-provided uniform, before tossing it on and racing out the door. He got to Room Dragon just in time, the bell shrieking as he slid into his seat. A tall, thin man entered just after Elias, his long brown hair tumbling around his face. “I am Mr. Izina. I am Room Dragon’s guide, and I’m here to explain the rules of this place to you,” he drawled, looking bored. He went on to explain all the standard school rules before going into the details that really made Konoma special. 

  


“Different rooms will be assigned tasks. Complete the tasks to win points. Win points to become the leading room. At the end of the year, all the points are tallied to make a final score–” “So it’s like the house points system in Harry Potter?” a kid with the greenest eyes Elias had ever seen asked without raising his hand.

“I have never read Harry Potter–” gasps echoed around the room– “but I assume yes. If there is a tie, then we break out the Gauntlet and have a good old-fashioned competition to determine the winner. If one of your tasks goes against school rules, you must complete it without being caught. Any more questions?” without waiting for an answer, Mr. Izina plowed on ahead. “Some of you must be wondering why this room is full of humans, with no Darklings or Summers. Well, the other races are obtaining this very same briefing in a different room, so as not to startle you with their… physical differences. Room Dragon will prevail this year, and win the Konoma Trophy!” despite his cheerful words, Izina seemed rather apathetic. 

  


“Now I’m going to take you to your initiation, so follow me. If you fall behind and get lost, don’t blame me,” he muttered. Izina walked out and kept walking, leaving the students to follow. “Shouldn’t we be in the dining hall for orientation right now?” a rather plump girl with curly hair demanded. Izina didn’t respond. Finally, they ended up in a field the size of a typical football pitch, with Izina standing by a tall flagpole. 

  


“Gather around,” he mumbled. A couple of new kids were standing next to Mr. Izina, kids that looked older.  _ Upperclassmen?  _

One of them stepped forward, a muscly guy with green eyes and dark hair. “The first person to get this,” he held up a flag with pride colors on it– “to the top of that flagpole wins.”

The stronger-looking kids grinned, rolling up their sleeves and cracking their knuckles. “Oh,” said the upperclassman, smirking in a way that made Elias shudder. “Also, you have to do it with these tied to your legs.” he held up two weights. Most kids still looked pretty confident, but some had lost their grins. 

  


The first one to go was a guy that looked like a football player, all muscle and ego. He got about a yard up before dropping. Three girls and ten guys had tried, none making it farther than the halfway point, when a lean girl spoke up. “I want to try,” she called, standing up from her ready position on the ground. 

  


She waited patiently as the upperclassman–Penn–tied the weights to her feet. She gazed up at the flagpole, which was pretty thick, about the width of a redwood. She wrapped her arms around it and began to move up by simply placing her hands and feet like she was a spider. Her arms wound around it, but didn’t fit all the way around, so she was basically hugging it with her arms with her palms flat against the metal and her legs in a froglike crouch on the metal below her. 

  


The assembled students started chattering as she passed the three-quarters mark. By the time she got to the top, she’d amassed a verifiable cheering section. When she grabbed the carabiner-attached flag and hooked it onto the top of the flagpole, everyone was cheering. When she slid back down, students swarmed her with congratulations. Even Penn looked impressed. 

  


Izina, however, looked pensive. When the girl reached the ground, he gave her a quizzical look and leaned forward to whisper something in Penn’s ear. Penn’s expression went dark, and he gazed after the girl with a chilly glare. Elias gazed at the interaction with mild–but rather removed–interest.

  


“Well, we have a winner,” Mr. Izina announced with a desultory wave of his pale fingers. “Since one of you idiots actually managed to do this, we get twenty points. Congratulations, and don’t let it go to your head. We may have gotten a head start, but the other classes won’t be far behind. Anyways, it’s time for dinner in the dining hall, so grab your phones and go to the private wifi–passcode Greengoblin, no spaces, capital G–to download the map application. I will not be dining with you, but the upperclassmen Dragons will be, so bother  _ them  _ with questions. Not me.” Elias was beginning to believe that Izina didn’t care about anything at all. 

  
  
  
  


The dining hall was a warmly lit wooden cave, with four tables of all different colors. Phoenix table, red and copper; Pegasus table, white and violet; Chimaera table, green and gold; and Dragon table, black, silver, and blue. 

  


Headmaster Lirin stood at the front of the room at the teacher’s table, looking disapproving. “Room Dragon, you have been awarded twenty points for your victory, but I have been forced to remove five for your tardiness,” he boomed, eyes narrowing. “Yep, totally like Harry Potter,” Green Eyes whispered in Elias’s ear as Lirin began his welcoming speech. Elias tuned the droning voice out as he took his seat on the long bench of Dragon’s table, taking care to put his napkin in his lap before serving himself from the feast laid out on the table. 

  


The green eyed kid plopped down beside him. “My name’s Klein. What’s yours?” he asked, brushing his white hair out of his (so, so green) eyes. “I’m Elias.” Elias took a bite of his mashed potatoes. “Not much of a talker, huh? Well, I can talk enough for the both of us. I’m a–” Klein paused mid-sentence, focusing (his super green eyes) on something behind Elias, who turned around. “The integration program, where they send Darkling and Summer races out to meet the humans. I’d read about it, and how it provides a steadier environment for all parties involved… they’re not actually separate races, which implies that  they’re part of the human species, but a different type of…” Elias paused his mumbling when he saw everyone within earshot of his rant staring at him with surprise. “I take the shy part back,” Klein snickered. 

  


Elias rolled his eyes and looked back to the three Darkling girls that had just entered the room. The first had eyes that were completely black, without whites, and skin so pale you could see the faint outline of her veins underneath. The second had poofy tawny hair that Elias bet was hiding a pair of horns. The third had a tail curling around her leg. All of them were pretty, but no prettier than your average human girl. Elias felt relieved that they weren’t all physically perfect–that would have been weird. 

  


The three Summers were right behind them, all with flawlessly tanned skin and large eyes framed with dark lashes. All of them looked perfect, but Elias suspected that was from hours of pampering and not biologically predetermined beauty. 

  


The Darkling with the poofy hair wore the school uniform in black colors with a pair of nice black gladiator sandals. She walked over to the Dragon table and introduced herself as Rhize (ree-zay). She sat down next to Klein, sitting gingerly and smoothing her skirt. “What’s it like up north, in the Darkling Territories? Is it always snowy, or do you have seasons? Do the Darklings have the same calendar as humans? Do you even recognize seasons, or do you just count days?” Elias leaned over Klein, eyes widening with interest. 

  


Rhize giggled. “I actually don’t go outside much, since I’m a monarch’s daughter. I mostly spend my time studying and helping the Zlev Council–our realm of the Darkling Territories–but I do remember a lot of snow when I took the plane over here. As for the other questions, yes, we do have the same calendar as the humans.” Elias’s mouth formed silent words as he pulled out his phone and started taking notes with one hand, while shoveling mashed potatoes with the other. “I assume your mutations include horns… judging by the way you sat down, I bet you’ve got a tail, too… you probably have another, so maybe sharp teeth?” 

  


Rhize looked mildly surprised at his quick analysis, but bounced into the conversation easily. She pulled aside her golden brown cloud of hair to reveal two spiraling golden horns. Elias grinned. “ _ So  _ cool!” he hissed to Klein, who looked like a toddler lost in an art museum. Rhize grinned and let her hair fall back into its normal place. “So, what’s your name?” she asked Elias, toying with one long strand of hair. “This is Elias, and I’m Klein,” Klein interjected.  _ Oh, he’s totally crushing, _ Elias thought, taking in his starstruck face. Rhize turned her yellow gaze on Klein. “Oh, hello there,” she said, eyes wide. “Hon, your  _ eyes  _ are so–” she paused as her gaze snapped to the Chimaera table in a sudden flick. 

  


Baku stood there, yelling something unintelligible at a girl with short brown hair and light mocha skin. Behind him stood a teen with his spiky hair, and a black leather jacket on over her uniform. Elias heard a snippet of “do  _ anything  _ for the people they love” before the chatter in the room drowned it out again. “Yay, conflict already,” Rhize snickered, before turning back to her food. Elias blinked and did the same. 

  


“Is that freak, like, mentally unstable?” he heard a girl ask her friend. “Yeah, I feel terrible for his roommate,” the friend replied. Elias gritted his teeth and ignored them. So yeah, Baku could be rude, but they were  _ completely  _ out of line saying things like that. Elias let out a slow breath, counted backwards from one hundred, and repeated  _ tanti non dignitas is, tanti non dignitas is _

in his mind.  _ Worth it, not worth it. Worth it, not worth it.  _

  


“Are you okay?” Rhize asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Elias flinched away and stood up. “Actually, I think I need to go to bed. I’m feeling a bit off tonight.”

_ Better take your pills, Freak. _

_ Gonna go all scary monster on me, Freak?  _

_ I hear that the freak new kid is like, totally crazy. _

Elias blinked the memories away.

  


“Okay, just be sure you check in with the Dragon board tonight,” Klein chimed in. 

“The  _ what?”  _ Elias squeaked. 

“The Boards! They’re located at the lounge of every table! Weren’t you listening to Lirin’s speech?” 

Elias blushed and shook his head sheepishly. 

“Oh my God. Well, they contain the tasks for the tables. Check it before you snooze, okay? Now go! Don’t want you collapsing in the middle of the dining hall!” Klein shooed Elias away with his long fingers, his eyes (so fucking green, they  _ had  _ to be contacts) narrowed with concern.

  


Elias found the board easily enough, and was surprised by how _ … mundane  _ it looked. It was a simple bulletin board, with slips of paper pinned to it. They said things like  _ never be late for a week: 5 points  _ and  _ make a cake and give it to Mr. Izina without him knowing who baked it: 10 points _ . Elias grabbed one that said,  _ sleep on the roof for a night without anyone seeing you, solve the tower’s riddle: 50 points  _ and walked to his dorm. He opened the heavy oak door and was startled by a wet and  _ extremely shirtless  _ Baku walking out of the shower, steam following him.  _ “What the fuck,”  _ he wanted to shout, but his throat seemed to have clogged up. 

  


Baku glanced up and saw him. “Uh, hi,” he mumbled, before running to his room. Elias heard the  _ click  _ of a lock behind him. He rubbed his eyes and tried to unsee Baku’s lean form, water running down his torso in rivulets– “No, no,  _ not going there, _ ” Elias mumbled, walking to his own room and  _ aggressively banishing  _ all thoughts of naked torsos. Male or female. 

  


Elias grabbed his pillow and his furry blanket, hoisting both over one shoulder. He nearly tripped over one of his suitcases on the way out, but managed to catch himself with one hand. He saw Baku again when he walked into the main area, this time with a shirt ( _ darn,  _ Elias thought, before shaking his head and thinking  _ nope, I do not care whether or not Baku wears a shirt _ ) while he made something on the stovetop. It smelled like eggs. 

  


Elias made his way out into the hall, bumping into a few early bedders on his quest to find the roof’s access point. He got several quizzical glances, but felt that it didn’t count as being  _ caught,  _ per se. 

  


After about three solid hours of searching the top level of Konoma Academy, Elias found a teensy crawlspace with an itty-bitty ladder leading up, located near the Phoenix common room. Elias looked longingly at his pillow and his blanket, both too big to fit in with him. This task was clearly designed for someone small, and Elias fit the profile. He dropped his blanket and pillow, too lazy to lug them back to his dorm, and dropped to his knees. He slithered through the small space and grabbed a bit of ladder, and began to haul himself up. 

  


He lost track of how long he tugged himself along the countless rungs, but it was at least five minutes before he got to a trapdoor locked with some sort of code. Elias groaned and hoisted himself to a sitting position, butt on the rung and legs bracing himself against the wall. He squinted at the glowing pad filled with nine glowing blue dots and one giant dot. He tapped one and it flashed red, letting out a screaming siren. Elias frantically tapped random buttons, trying to get it to shut up. Finally, he just slammed on the big blue one at the bottom with his palm. Instantly, the siren stopped and the buttons turned green. Elias sighed in relief and pushed the trapdoor open, breathing in the cold night air. The very,  _ very  _ cold night air. 

  


Elias’s teeth were chattering by the time he tugged himself up to the roof and shut the trapdoor. He glared at the giant, flat roof, flanked by large towers reaching high up into the air. 

_ The task is also a test of determination,  _ he realized. Only the most stubborn and the strongest would survive in this cold. 

  


He curled up near the middle of the gigantic,  _ huge  _ roof, pressing himself down on the soft tile.  _ It was going to be a long night.  _

  


Elias woke up in a cold sweat after a dream filled with blood  _ seeping  _ down his face,  _ whispering  _ into his ear, telling him the  _ secrets…  _ he shook his head to clear it a little. He blinked up at the sky, a view obstructed by the…  _ gardens? _ A canopy of soft foliage obscured the sky from his view. But  _ that  _ couldn’t be  _ possible– _ and just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, and Elias was lying alone at what felt like the edge of the universe, legs dangling off into the abyss, facing the end of times that would rain hellfire upon them all… 

  


He blinked himself awake and had to stifle his scream. He was sitting at the edge of the roof, his legs dangling down to the football field of space in between him and death. The sunset glittered on the horizon as Elias scrambled back on all fours, not stopping until all of his body parts were safely on solid roof. 

  


“I’ve got to get to first period before they realize I’m gone,” he said to himself absently. He picked himself up and walked to where he could have  _ sworn  _ the trapdoor was the night before… or not. The roof was completely smooth, devoid of any sort of device that might help him get to the inside of the building. Elias had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he recalled the last part of the task.  _ Solve the tower’s riddle.  _ He pulled the slip of paper that held the task out of his pocket and choked. Where ink had once been, now there were magazine letters sloppily glued together.

  


_ In the pocket of the brave,  _

_ Shall appear the tower’s riddle _

_ An iron will shall receive the prize _

_ Up and away to the rising sun _

  


Elias laughed at the cheesy poetry.  _ And iron will?  _ What did that even  _ mean? Up and away to the rising sun? _

On a whim, Elias reached turned the paper over. He groaned. On it was a perfect drawing of the smallest school tower, the one facing the rising sun. 

Elias glanced at aforementioned sun. It was almost seven, and his first class started at eight thirty. He glanced at the drawing again, and noticed something…  _ strange.  _ It showed an itty-bitty picture of a teensy boy climbing the stones.  _ It wants me to climb the tower. That’s the Tower’s riddle. Face the rising sun… the  _ tower  _ faces the rising sun.  _

  


“Oh,  _ hell  _ no,” Elias cried.  _ Fifty points, Elias. That’s like three flagpoles. Or a dozen cakes. You’ll never have to do something like this again.  _

Elias hated the little voice in his head. Sighing, he began the trek to the tower. 

  


The school was a square building, almost a mansion, with several towers surrounding it of various heights. Some of the towers connected to the main building, namely the roof, and almost all of them had open windows at the top. That meant that the only way Elias could get off of this roof was to climb the smallest tower and enter through the window. 

  


It wasn’t a large climb, and the tower was made of soft stones with plenty of handholds. So he probably wouldn’t die, thanks to his short rock-climbing phase at age ten. But this was totally illegal.  _ So is the fact that you don’t take your fucking pills moron,  _ said the pesky little voice. Elias gazed up, up up, and blinked several times. It looked to be about seven Eliases high, so it could be manageable.  _ You aren’t seriously considering climbing a tower for a school points system, right?  _ Oh, great. Logical voice was here to talk. 

  


“Well, I’ll be charged with a whole lot of things if I’m found up here, and they’ll chalk it up to an episode, find out I’m not taking my pills, and send me to a mental ward. So yeah, I’m considering it,” Elias told himself. 

  


He positioned his hands on the rough rocks and found them easy to grip onto.  _ Three points of contact. Push, pull, lift. C’mon, Elias.  _ He began to raise himself up, pressing as hard as he could to the stone. Halfway through, his arms started to shake so badly he had to stop, tears streaming down his face as his small form lay battered by the wind. “Klein, you seemed cool. I’m sorry I’ll never see you again. You too, Rhize. Momma, I’m sorry I was such a mental case. Dad, I hate you and I’m glad I’ll never have to see your stupid face again. Mister Rosen, you were a great Latin teacher.” he chanted his goodbyes one by one, hissing in pain as his uncovered knees scraped against the rocks. He really should have brought longer pyjama pants. 

_ tanti non dignitas is. Tanti non dignitas is _ … worth it, not worth it. Worth it, not worth it.

  


He abandoned that train of thought immediately.  _ Dignitas is. Dignitas is.  _ Worth it. Worth it. This would be worth it when he showed his classmates that he was  _ not  _ useless,  _ not  _ a freak,  _ not  _ evil,  _ not  _ crazy.

  


He closed his eyes and  _ pulled, pushed, lifted  _ himself up the wall until he felt air. He’d reached the open window. Giving himself one last desperate hoist, he fell through the window and onto the lap of a  _ very  _ surprised Baku.

“What the hell are you doing here,” he demanded flatly. He sounded bored and cold. “I-I got fifty points for Dragon,” Elias panted, and fainted. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of these characters are secretly based off of other characters of mine... darnitty darn I lack originality!!!!!


	2. In Which Elias Gets Angsty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elias has a secret he's not ready to share, but Rhize throws that to the dust when she lets something slip.

Elias woke up to a soft burn in his arms and legs. When he tried to sit up, it became worse and worse until he simply flopped back down in defeat. “Good to see that you’re up,” a cold voice remarked. Elias turned his head and saw Izina sitting on a plush leather chair. Elias opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Izina held his and up. “Before you ask, no, you were not technically ‘caught’ while carrying out your task. You have your tight-lipped roommate to thank for that. Had he told us that you had come in through the window, you would probably be expelled. But, since there was no definite proof that the two of you hadn’t just been doing some late night studying after you’d visited the gym, you’ve been let off with a warning. From me. This is the warning, in case you were not aware.” His dry tone left no room to argue. 

“And yes, you did earn fifty points for your class. And yes, you are now some sort of god in their eyes. You are welcome to tell them everything, after the period of three days in which you have been subjected to healing. The rules of tasking mean that you can’t be caught after the task is finished, meaning that even if you announced it to the whole school you technically wouldn’t be in danger of expulsion. But, I have to warn you, next time you should probably start with something a bit easier. For example, a five-pointer. The Tower’s Riddle has been there for five years and nobody has completed it without being caught–except for you, it would seem.” Izina seemed to be talking to himself now, so Elias took the opportunity to barge in. “Mr. Izina, sir, how will I learn my lessons if I can’t go to class?” 

Izina frowned. “Ask a friend to give you the notes. You’ll be given a formal typeout of the lecture, of course, but any extra information that was part of the actual class won’t be recorded. So I suggest you use one of your new groupies and get them to help you out, okay? Good. Now, there’s about the entire Dragon class outside, so invite who you want in. I’m going to go take a nap. If you need anything, ask someone else for help.”

With that, he swept out of the room. 

For someone who seems to hate attention, Mr. Izina sure is dramatic, Elias thought. 

He called to the nurse who was on the other side of the room, looking like she was trying not to look like she was eavesdropping.   
“Yes, dearie?” she asked, smiling warmly. She was about Elias’s height, and very muscular. Her dark skin practically glowed in the soft lighting. “Call me Tess, by the way. Do you need anything, sweetheart?” 

“Um… Tess, can you go into the hallway and get a boy named Klein and a girl named Rhize for me?” Elias asked tentatively. His response was a smile that lit the whole room up. “Of course, dear. One with green eyes, the other with some horns? They were here looking for you before anyone else, asking questions. You’ve got yourself a great pair of friends.”

Tess walked out, and Elias heard the shouts of the students asking if he was okay, when he’d be out, things like that. “I need a Rhize and a Klein? Is there a Rhize and a Klein?” he heard Tess call. 

“That’s us!” Elias heard before Rhize and Klein were by his side, chattering incessantly (Klein) and posing coolly (Rhize). “They’re calling you the King of the Dragons, you know,” Rhize informed him, raising one full eyebrow. “That would be really cool if said dragons weren’t a whole bunch of teenagers,” Elias mumbled. “Elias! So tell us all the details, okay? What was it like? You know, climbing like forty-five feet up that giant fucking tower?” 

Elias groaned softly. Klein blushed a bright red. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell us now,” Rhize told him. “You must be really sore.” Klein’s face was the color of a tomato. “Yes. Sore. We should give him time to–heal. Yes. Time to heal,” he stuttered.   
“Well, when you feel better, come down to the dining halls. We need you–everyone is under the impression that we all grew up together, and people are like asking personal questions about you and shit–it’s wild, El,” Rhize complained, licking at a green lollipop. 

“Well, I’m not free to go until–what day is it?” 

“Tuesday, dumbass.”

“Yeah, I’m not free until Friday morning. So have fun being harassed, I guess.”

“You suck. Well, I’ve got S-Spanish now, so I’ll see you guys later,” Rhize said. She turned to go when Elias called back to her. “Wait–Rhize?”   
“Yes?” she snapped, turning to face him.   
Elias made his Momma’s Boy face.   
“Can I borrow your Physics notes?”

Rhize rolled her eyes and reached out to ruffle his hair. “Of course, stupid. God, third day at a new school and I just had to pick the idiots as my friends.”

Friday morning came, and Elias was almost fine. His muscles still ached, but it was down to a dull burn instead of a raging wildfire.   
Tess had been a huge help, always giving him what he needed. He’d also met the other nurse, Yuri, who was a tiny girl with a fiery temper.  
Elias had been on sedatives for the duration of his stay, and now he felt slightly groggy but ready to face the world. 

He stood up cautiously and walked to the door. He found that he actually felt pretty good as he walked to his dorm. Since everyone was in first period classes, Elias didn’t bump into anyone on his trek to the Dragon dormitories, which were conveniently located in the wing farthest from the nurse’s office. When he made it to his dorm, he didn’t bother knocking. Striding in, he went straight to his bedroom and grabbed his clothes. 

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overcame him and he sat down. If you feel dizzy or nauseous, take one of the pills I put in your care package, Yuri had said. Elias fumbled for the pill jar, snatching it out of the parcel and popping it open. He tossed one back and layed down. 

He woke up an hour and a half later with sleep in his eyes and far less nausea. He grabbed his uniform and tossed it on haphazardly, rushing to the bathroom. His eyes fell on a tube of eyeliner. I haven’t used eyeliner since freshman year… might as well make a statement, Elias thought.

He strolled into the lunchroom ten minutes late, eyes darkened with smoky eyeliner and his uniform jacket slung over his shoulder. He had rolled his sleeves up partway up his forearms (everybody knows that’s the best way to do it) and his walk was precise. 

The room was silent for a moment, before uproarious cheers exploded from the Dragon table. Kids were standing up, clapping, jumping up and down–Elias caught Klein’s eye and rushed over to him. He scooted in between Rhize and Klein, grabbing a sandwich and biting into it aggressively.   
“I am so uncomfortable,” he hissed. Rhize bellowed with laughter.  
“Better get used to it, dragon king,” Klein teased. “I hate both of you,” Elias groaned.   
“Well, you could always sit with your groupies over there,” Rhize informed him, pointing discreetly at the three girls giggling at him. 

“I would honestly hate that so much. You guys are my only friends in a world of judgemental groupies,” Elias lamented.   
Klein grinned and stole some of Elias’s sandwich.   
Gazing around, Elias took in the surprising increase in Darklings and Summers.   
“When did all of them get here?” Elias asked.

“They’ve been adding in three of each race every lunch, to kind of ease us into it,” the girl sitting across from Elias told him. 

She was short and curvy, with muscly arms and long fingers. Her hair was dyed a bright pink and done up in pigtails, her bright blue eyes glittering. “I’m Izelda. Izelda Briar. I’m a third year, like you!” she chirped, sticking out her hand. Her eyes squinted almost shut when she smiled, which was strangely endearing.   
“I’m Elias,” said Elias.   
“And–uh, these two are Rhize and Klein.”   
“Oh, I know. You guys are like, famous around here, which I don’t really get because seriously? All you did was break a few rules and they’re just famous by association. Sorry, by the way, no offense,” she added.   
“None taken,” Rhize purred, shaking Izelda’s outstretched hand. Izelda beamed.  
“Pleased to meet you.”  
Klein grinned widely and shook Izelda’s hand too.   
“I’m Klein!”

Then, Elias noticed something weird. “Hey, guys? Why is Baku sitting at the Dragon table?” he asked, running his hand through his hair nervously.   
“Oh! I forgot that you missed all the drama. So Baku has a sister, right? And his sister is also his twin. And so the sister gets placed in Dragon but Baku gets placed in, like, Chimaera, and they sit together at the Chimaera table. But then this chick who has it hot for Baku mouths off to the twin, and Baku blows up because they’re like super close, and then Baku asks to get placed in Dragon because his sister is there, and since technically nobody had gotten any points yet–the twenty had yet to be tallied up–they allowed it. And then you got all those points–which is like absolutely crazy, by the way, almost nobody completes fifty-pointers–and everyone’s freaking out because it’ll take forever and a half to catch up. So basically, everyone hates Dragon for supposedly ‘cheating.’” Izelda paused to take a breath and Rhize cut in.

“It’s not cheating, of course. And Elias, don’t worry. The chatter about your achievements–it’ll die down within a couple of weeks. They’ll find something better to rant about, for better or for worse, so don’t flip,” Rhize cut in. Elias released a bit of strain he didn’t know he was holding in.   
“Thanks, Rhize. That–that helps a lot,” he mumbled. 

“Also, you look fucking bomb today. Like, if I wasn’t already gay, you could turn me,” Klein laughed.   
Elias stiffened. Klein was gay?   
He barely heard Rhize chide, “That’s not how sexuality works, Klein!”  
Gay? GAY?  
“Oh no. Are you one of those guys that gets weird around the gays? Like, are you gonna be weird about me hugging you and stuff?” Klein asked, worry etching his features.   
“What? No. I mean, no, I’m–uh, I’m pan, so–no, I’m not weird about it, it’s just kind of… a shock, I guess. I mean, you kind of strike me as a straight guy–and I know that’s not correct, that’s my bad. Um. I should eat. Yes. Food.” Elias grabbed a spoonful of carrots and started destroying his food.   
Izelda was watching this exchange with great interest.   
“Yes, food is important,” Rhize commented wryly.   
“Maybe some water to help the effects of the painkillers wear off–I hear that they can make a person much dumber than normal,” Izelda added.  
The girls slapped each other a high five. 

Elias went back to staring at Baku. His eyes were cold, and he was staring straight ahead uncomfortably while his sister sat next to him. She was around five and a half feet tall, with spiky blonde hair dyed green at the tips tied back in two messy buns. She had big eyes the color of seaweed snacks, and a scar bisecting her eyebrow that gave her a wild look.

She was laughing loudly, mouth wide open and teeth flashing. She looked almost ethereal the the hazy lighting… “Don’t you, Elias?” he heard Rhize ask.   
“Um… yeah, sure,” Elias shook his head to clear it.   
“Elias, I didn’t even ask a question. I just wanted to know if you were paying attention or not,” she scolded. He turned guilty eyes to face her.   
“Rhize, what do you know about Baku’s twin?”   
Rhize looked vaguely surprised. “You mean Estrella Nakamura? She’s Baku’s twin, of course. Half Spanish, half Japanese. Was in a hit and run when she was twelve that left her with scars on her face, arms, neck, and legs. Age seventeen, and a little fireball like her brother. Very social, is almost always with Baku–except for classes where they aren’t together, of course–and feels responsible for his social life. Apparently, Baku saw her get hit with the car and ever since, has been super protective of her.”

Okay, wow. That’s more than I was looking for. 

“How do you know all this stuff, Rhize?” Klein asked, leaning forward in his seat.   
“Um, duh. I’m the daughter of the Monarch of the Zlev Territories. I am the Assistant Principal of the Great Council. Of course I did a background check on everyone in my class before I came here, idiot!” she laughed.  
“I do not know what all of those titles mean, but okay,” Elias heard Klein say, but he wasn’t paying attention.   
Background checks? Did that mean… she knew about his episodes? They were in a lot of records, and it was pretty easy to find those with a quick Google!

“You know what, I think I’m going to head to bed early tonight. Don’t want to strain my muscles too much,” he heard himself say. Everything was blurry all of a sudden.  
“The last time you said that, you were in the hospital wing for three days,” Klein said, but Elias was already stumbling towards the exit. Someone called his name, tugged at his hand. Elias pulled away and started running. He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears as he sprinted to his dorm room. He pushed past kids, running and running and running, until he was inside and panting and choking on his own spit in his desperation to get a breath in. He let out a broken sob, more like a scream, really, and put his head between his legs.

He rocked back and forth like this for hours, days, years, eternities, trying to forget that now everyone would know. Everyone would know that he was a freak. A weirdo, a–

A soft hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his spiral.

He looked up and saw a guilty looking Rhize standing there. “Look, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I obviously activated some sort of emotional trigger, and–”   
“Get in? How,” Elias whispered softly, too tired to form a sentence.   
“The door was unlocked. Um, I’m so sorry. I don’t think I can apologize enough for–”  
“So did you know this entire time?” he rasped. 

“You mean, that you stabbed someone in a supposedly ‘psychopathic fit’ and turned yourself in? You mean, that you nearly killed Gordyn Gensii in a fight, unarmed, after he tried to rape someone? Yes, I know. And I know that you admitted yourself to a hospital. You didn’t want to hurt those people, El. It’s not like you can control it, right? And the pills make you throw up and they make you dizzy and stupid, like you’re looking at the world through a pair of cheap, scratched up, melted glasses?”

Elias nodded slowly, looking up at Rhize.   
She sighed.   
“It’s really time I started investigating the Mystery of Elias Dondelair’s Existence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, this is short. My bad, babes. Anyhoo, next chap is gonna be a lil happy cinnamon roll, so get ready. I fucking love Estrella, okay? don't judge me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elias is sad, but Estrella doesn't have time for that sort of bullshit. She's ready to shake things up in her own special way–and, of course, balance out his energies.

Elias skipped class the next day, figuring that nobody would really notice and assume that he was just resting. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, not even bothering to wash his face. When classes got out for the day, he heard Baku enter and a feminine giggle. Oh, great. He absolutely needed to hear Baku’s female companionship right now. 

His door creaked open and Elias turned his head to look. Baku’s face peered back. “Hello. Since you’re half dead and you missed class, I wanted to check up on you.”  
Elias thought about how bad his face must look, what with the streaks of black from his smudged eyeliner and the redness from the tears. 

He rolled over. “Go back to your girlfriend, Baku.”  
“What the fuck? She’s not my girlfriend, moron,” Baku snapped.  
“Your fling, then. Or the prostitute or whatever. Just leave me alone,” Elias mumbled.  
“So you’re the famous Elias! The one that Baku talks about! Hi! I’m his sister, Estrella. And from what I can see, you look like a little bitch. Didn’t know you were into that, Baku, but whate–”  
“Elias, meet Estrella. Estrella, Elias. Elias, Estrella. Now that you’ve been introduced, it’s time for Estrella to leave,” Baku interrupted.   
“Oh, shut up. He’s the one that got us all those points! I’ve got to see him.”

Elias felt hands roll him over, and heard a gasp. “Oh, honey! You’ve got to take that shit off your face, sweetie.”  
Elias heard footsteps, and then something damp on his face. He kept his eyes closed.   
“God, Baku, did living with you kill the kid? Jesus fuckin–oh thank god it’s coming off easily.”  
“I didn’t do anything. He did it to himself, okay?”  
Elias groaned softly and sat up, pushing his hair away from his face. He leaned against the headboard of his bed and blinked up at the dazzling pair of green eyes gazing into his own. 

“Woah! He’s pretty. I like him already! Baku, get me another makeup wipe and go search for a face mask. We’re making this little cinnamon roll feel better even if it kills us! So you better get one for me too. Also, cue up Anne With An E on Netflix. We’re gonna binge watch the fuck out of that shit.”

Elias felt dizzy, but not in a bad way. The little sandstorm of green and gold was flying around the room, picking up clothes and hanging them up, dusting off shelves, and straightening stuff. “The balance of your room is off,” she mumbled. She picked up Elias’s desk and moved it to the other side of the room, and paused to look at her work.   
“Your personality is more corner bed than centered. It’s cramping your energy,” she hummed softly. She went over to Elias’s bed and pushed it to the corner.   
“You’re really strong,” he told her. 

She beamed. “Personal trainer to seven college football players,” she told him, grinning from ear to ear.   
“I have the face masks, you little shit–oh my lord, you’ve done your energy thing to Elias’s room. I cannot believe you, you horrible person, the last time you did this to me I had dreams about green tea for three weeks, jesus–”  
“I like it,” Elias interrupted softly.

“It feels more roomy this way. Thanks, Estrella.”  
She smiled so wide he feared her face would split apart. “That’s me!” she crowed. 

Baku rolled his eyes.   
“Get over here, Elias. We’re gonna watch some shows and make you feel good, you asshole.”

 

Four hours of binge-watching later, Estrella had left for her training sessions and Baku was asleep on Elias’s shoulder, drooling softly.   
For someone who could be so poky, he was a total softie.   
Elias didn’t want to move for fear of waking him up, so he settled for wrapping his arm around him and watching Jennifer Aniston as some random hippie lady who liked spicy food. And his eyes felt so, so heavy… and when he blinked, they stuck together like glue…

 

Elias woke up in Baku’s lap, all but purring as he stroked his dark hair. Elias was a little over six feet tall, with a mess of dark waves and pouty lips. His eyes were a deep chocolate, framed with thick black lashes, and his dark eyebrows were full and bold against his peachy skin.  
Baku, however, was all delicate lines. High, arching brows, soft lips, and pale eyes, paired with his darker complexion and high cheekbones. He was like an old-timey angel… and Elias was just plain. Plain is brown. Plain is white. Plain is boring. Nobody wants vanilla ice cream when they could have, like, cherry champagne or strawberry liqueur ice cream. 

Baku’s eyes were closed, and he was running his fingers through Elias’s curls and somehow not catching any snags. It felt… really, really good, actually. Really good. Insanely good.   
Elias closed his eyes again and succumbed to sleep once more. 

 

When Elias woke up again, he was alone on the couch. There was a note, however, on the pillow next to him.  
Hope we made you feel better, asshole  
We made you a profile on the netflix, so use it

–Baku

Elias smiled.  
And then he frowned. 

Oh no. 

Elias was falling for his super hot, very straight roommate. 

Well, fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unreasonably short, but screw it. I'm gonna make these as long or short as I want–who am I kidding. I'm gonna make these as long as my creative aura allows.


	4. Elias Does A Magic On Us And Estrella Gets Angsty, Plus Also Eselda.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just me telling all of ya'lls about the fantasy side of this shit. Also, I like writing in backstories.

Three weeks later, the Dragon Room was in first place with seventy eight points, and Phoenix was in a close second at sixty four. Third was Chimaera (fifty three points) and Pegasus was in last with fifty one points. 

Someone had managed to steal Mr. Izina’s desk and put it in the dining hall one night, scoring the Dragons six points and putting them solidly in the lead. The Pegusi were rumored to be plotting some sort of prank that’d get them ten points, too. 

 

The real gossip going around, though, was the “special students.”

Every couple days, a new student was pulled out of class by a teacher. Sometimes, they were back by the end of class. Others, they were back by the end of the day. But on three separate occasions, the students hadn’t returned for several days and were regularly pulled out of classes again and again.

 

Elias had begun making a list of all the students pulled out of classes:

 

  1. Dante Godrun, returned thirty minutes later. 
  2. Zinon Jennings, returned an hour later.
  3. Hanna Greenbrae, returned ten minutes later. 
  4. Jessica Klendare, returned fifty minutes later. 
  5. Yva Gau, returned six hours later. 
  6. Crimson Brellue, kept for two days and regularly disappears from 5:00 to 7:00 every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
  7. Erin Blake, returned a day later. 
  8. Katya Romanov, kept for a day and regularly disappears from 5:00 to 7:00 every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
  9. Nayome Suzuki, kept for ten hours and regularly disappears from 5:00 to 7:00 every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.



 

Nine kids in total. And when asked, they clammed up–didn’t say a thing. Other than that, they were completely normal, the same as before. It was sketchy, to say the least, but the school was completely weird anyways, so nobody really payed attention. 

 

Then Elias was pulled out of class by none other than Tess. Tess, the borderline Amazonian woman who was a total badass and Elias would respect until the end of the world. Tess, the woman leading Elias to what would probably amount to his death. 

 

“Tess, where are we going?” he asked, scrubbing his hand through his hair nervously. “Don’t do that to your hair. It makes it look like a haystack,” she replied, striding down the corridor with long, purposeful steps. 

“Tess, please don’t introduce me to some sort of Summer/Darkling Mafia. I’m only seventeen! I’m too young to be in the Mafia!” 

Tess rolled her eyes and kept walking. She turned past the Psychology 2 classroom and kept going. Elias had never been to this part of the school–he’d never needed to. After about a minute of  _ more  _ walking, they reached a padlocked door. Tess put her hand on the padlock and it snapped open, revealing  _ another  _ corridor leading to  _ another  _ door. 

 

“Elias, I want you to try unlocking that next door,” she instructed. 

“Um, okay. Do I get, like, a lockpick or a key?” he asked, rubbing his arms to try and warm himself up. It was  _ freezing  _ in this wing of the school. Speaking of which, this wing… didn’t exist. On the map, there was nothing past the Psychology 2 classroom. Just a whole bunch of trees and snow outside. And Elias had  _ been  _ on the roof and hadn’t seen this part. This shouldn’t exist. 

 

Which meant… what, exactly?

 

Elias walked to the door cautiously, approaching it the way one would a bomb or equally dangerous object. He saw that the padlock was surrounded with a soft black aura, much like the button next to the trapdoor that led to the roof had. 

“So, how do I do this, Tess? Do I try to pick it with my fingernails, or–”

“Just do what feels right, Elias. It should be natural,” she interrupted. 

 

Elias sighed.  _ Well, that was helpful. _

 

He evaluated the lock. It was a simple padlock, like one you’d get at any average convenience store or find on a high school locker. It curved over the handle, effectively stopping it from opening. 

After about five minutes of just staring at it uselessly, Tess sighed.

“Okay, I guess this was a waste of time. Come on–”

Elias grabbed the lock and  _ felt.  _

He visualized the lock melting, turning to mush in his hands, and he could practically  _ feel  _ it oozing around his fingers, dripping to the floor–

The lock had blinked out of existence. It was just…  _ gone.  _

He heard Tess gasp in a sharp intake of breath. 

Elias pushed the door open.

 

“Tess, what did I just  _ do, _ ” he hissed, hands shaking. He felt… terrified. And confused, and scared, and angry, and… satisfied. He felt  _ good.  _

“You just passed the first of many tests,” Tess told him softly. 

“Elias, I know that you’re confused and scared, but just put that aside. Right now, the impossible is possible and you can do  _ anything.  _ Just follow your gut. Do what feels right.”

 

Elias nodded numbly and walked through the door. 

 

The next room was a myriad of identical objects. There were hundreds of fancy daggers, encrusted with jewels and gold, handles all a sharp silver. Elias walked through the room as if in a trance, running his fingers over them. 

He didn’t wonder why they didn’t cut him. 

He just moved. 

 

Finally, he found one that was different, one that glowed the dark shade of a shadow. He picked it up and felt the rest of the daggers dissipate. 

 

Tess smiled. 

 

“Elias, I think it’s time for you to go back to your dorm. I’ve seen enough. Come back here tomorrow, and we’ll start your training.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Estrella Nakamura was a liar. A dirty, evil liar. 

 

She couldn’t help it, though! When the security team had asked her name and age, she’d  _ lied  _ and told them that she was seventeen years old. So now she was Estrella, Baku’s twin, Estrella, the mechanic, Estrella, the  _ liar.  _

 

She wasn’t seventeen. She was fifteen.

 

But when she’d heard that a school was taking away Baku, she’d demanded to join him. 

  
“Stray, you know you can’t go. They only accept applications from people sixteen and up,” he’d laughed, but she had spit in his face and told him that she’d lie on her application, she’d lie to the security guards, she’d  _ lie  _ until she could go to that fucking school.

 

And they had seen right through it. They’d sent her an email.

 

**From: applicationsoffice@konoma.org**

_ Miss Estrella Nakamura,  _

_ We are sorry to inform you that we cannot accept this application. You do not meet the age requirement, and we have been forced to reject you on these principles. _

_ Blah blah blah, important stuff that Estrella’d skipped.  _

 

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Kuri Sato _

_ Secretary to Headmaster Lirin and Assistant Staff Manager. _

  
  


Then, she’d gotten another email from a random address. 

 

**From: donotreplysato@gmail.com**

_ Estrella,  _

_ Consider this a PS. _

_ Your test scores are off the charts. If you want to go to Konoma Academy, then all you need to do is send in an application to the Student Services office saying that you and your brother are too close to be seperated, for mental health reasons. This is the only loophole I can find, but they should let you in with a recommendation from me. I can say that I’m friends with your mom, and I can tell them that Baku can become mentally unstable without your presence.  _

_ If anyone asks, I didn’t send this. You should delete this once you’ve read it, just to be sure.  _

 

_ –KS _

 

Estrella knew an opportunity when she saw one. She googled  _ Konoma Academy Student Services  _ and sure enough, a  _ help@konoma.org  _ email showed up almost immediately. So she emailed them and one month later received a notice in the mail.

 

_ Dear Miss Estrella Nakamura,  _

_ We are pleased to inform you… _

 

Estrella had leapt and screeched loud enough to wake her mother up from her nap. She’d hugged Baku so hard he’d winced, and ran out onto their porch to announce, “I am  _ going to Konoma Academy with my brother!”  _

 

Estrella knew how bad her depression got when Baku wasn’t there. She knew because one day, in third grade, her therapist had suggested a “gifted and talented” school for her. She’d gone to the stupid boarding school, eaten the fine meals, learned the lessons, played with the kids, put on her happy face–but every night, she’d sobbed into her pillow and cried her eyes out. Then, Lena Saki had transferred to her dorm. 

 

Lena was filled with hatred that she decided to focus on Estrella. She mocked Estrella every day and every night until Estrella was nine and had tried to jump off of the dorm’s balcony while twenty-five other students watched in abject horror. 

She had been grabbed by the shoulders and yanked away, and that was the day that she was sent back home to her therapist and her brother. 

 

Apparently nine year olds attempting suicide was rare. 

 

That was when Estrella had begun her energy research. Like how the way your room was organized could affect your entire peace of mind!

 

So when she saw the boy with smudged eyeliner and tangled hair, her heart had stopped. She remembered every night at that “gifted and talented” school she’d spent sobbing into her pillow, every day Lena had made her life a minefield of taunts and insults, and the wind tossing her hair on the balcony. 

 

So Estrella had cued up Netflix and wiped off his makeup and rearranged his room, trying to make sure he didn’t live the hell that she had. She massaged his shoulders and wrapped him in a warm blanket, and watched TV with him until he fell asleep. And then she left and  _ prayed  _ that he would feel better soon, because only God and Estrella can know his pain and how much it  _ hurts, _ even when it shouldn’t and there’s no fucking  _ reason _ for it. 

 

And she remembered how Baku looked at him curled up on the bed, with a sort of longing that she couldn’t understand.

 

And she smiled softly as she whipped seven college football players into shape.

Eselda Briar was a coward. She had never had a friend,  _ never,  _ and when she finally found one she talked his ear off and forced him to run away to his dorm room. 

 

_ This is what you get for being such a traitor,  _ she heard her brother whisper.  _ You can’t do  _ anything  _ right, can you. You chase everyone away, even your own parents.  _

She’d thought that Jaesol’s presence was long gone, a memory of a terrible past, but apparently not. Every day he showed up in her thoughts with new taunts and insults. 

 

She shook her head violently. Eselda was already strange enough with her dyed hair and revealing clothing and dark eyeliner, and she didn’t need people knowing she had voices in her head too. She was soft lines and sharp personality, oil and water. She didn’t fit. She didn’t  _ work. _

 

She knew how people looked at her, the rich mexican with too much ass and not enough brains, the girl with no job or life. Stupid. Ugly. Vapid. She’d heard it all. 

So Eselda fought. She fought the girl in seventh grade that called her a whore, she fought the policeman that pulled her over for speeding as a white man in a Ferrari zipped past, she fought her family, and she fought her peers. Because nobody was gonna fight for her. 

 


End file.
